Sustainability in the news

September 19, 2010

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Some hospitals have begun to change their practices in an effort to enhance environmental and patient health, and help reduce the more than 2 million tons of waste the health care industry generates each year, according to The Connecticut Post.

Going green permeates every aspect of the hospital, from encouraging employees to bring in mugs for their coffee to reduce the use of Styrofoam, to eliminating mercury from thermometers and blood pressure cuffs, to using green materials during construction, the story stated.

“The biggest challenge with going green is getting everybody on board,” said Jim Gengo, director of environmental services at St. Vincent’s hospital, a member of Practice Greenhealth, an association that promotes sustainability.

SEATTLE — Amazon.com, the internet superstore, has announced the launch of Amazon Green, a place for consumers to find green products of all sorts, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Amazon Green is a category for all categories that allows shoppers to find Energy Star electronics, high-efficiency lighting, green cleaning supplies, and other environmentally preferable products in a wide range of categories, the story stated.

Customers are urged to select what they believe to be the best products on the site and vote for them as a way to guide other shoppers in their sustainability efforts, the story added.

VANCOUVER — Pink Solution, a 20-year-old organic cleaning product, has become mainstream thanks to the green movement, according to The Vancouver Sun.

Carol MacKinnon has been selling the all-natural, non-toxic cleaner at national and international trade shows for years; it has recently landed on the shelves of major national retailer Costco, the story stated.

MacKinnon told the Sun: “Now, people know us as a green cleaner. It was a little bit before its time, but people have caught on.”

A total of $6 million will be invested in training workers in one of three emerging markets: Alternative energy production and efficiency, green building construction and retrofitting, and agriculture and natural resource conservation, the story stated.

Also included in the initiative is a Green Jobs Conference and extensive labor market research in the world of green businesses, the story added.